Danfoss recently broke ground on the construction of what it has called one of the world’s most energy-efficient supermarkets. The Smart Store supermarket, which is situated right next to Danfoss’ headquarters, will be filled with the latest and most energy-efficient refrigeration and heating technology.

Instead of allowing the heat produced by cooling cabinets and freezers to go to waste, it will be captured and reused to provide heating for the supermarket and the local community through district energy. The cooling system in the new supermarket will also run on carbon dioxide, which helps to reduce the overall climate impact.

“The goal of the project is to show how easy and profitable it is to decarbonize our economy and ensure reliable and sustainable energy use,” said Kristian Strand, president of refrigeration and a/c controls at Danfoss Climate Solutions. “Heating and cooling are the largest energy consumers in supermarkets. The solutions we are building here today represent the core of Danfoss solutions and will showcase how we can approach zero energy use in food retail together.”

The state-of-the-art supermarket is designed to lead the way for how supermarket chains around the world can build climate-friendly and sustainable stores with the technologies that already exist today. The supermarket will be completed in the summer of 2023. Additionally, this site will serve as an Application Development Center where Danfoss will work together with partners to co-develop new technologies and explore interfaces in the energy system surrounding energy storage. 

“The supermarket will be the focal point for a new part of our campus, where all buildings will be energy efficient and meet special sustainability requirements,” said Jürgen Fischer, president of Danfoss Climate Solutions. “Our aim is to boost the green transition with concrete evidence of how far we can go with energy efficiency. We want to demonstrate to customers and partners how energy-saving solutions work in real life. We want to show the greenest energy is the energy we don’t use or reuse.”

 BALS, Brugsen for Als and Sundeved, Denmark’s largest independent supermarket association, will rent the building from Danfoss and will install a COOP 365discount supermarket. BALS, which works together with COOP, has a total of 13 stores in the area around Sønderborg in Denmark and since 2015 has consistently reduced the consumption of energy in its stores. So far, they have cut 44% of their total CO₂ emissions. Therefore, it was a natural next step that BALS became a partner in the project. 

“We already have a lot of experience, but the energy price spikes have put further pressure on the need for change,” said Lars G. Andersen, managing director of BALS. “Our 13 supermarkets have been modernized, and we have nearly no cost for heating in the stores because the heat comes from our Freon-free refrigeration systems, solar cells, and heat pumps. It is an advantage with the current energy prices, and it reduces our CO₂ emissions. We are proud to be part of one of the most energy-efficient supermarkets in the world and test the solutions that can help buildings become climate neutral.”

Danfoss is also establishing a showroom in a part of the supermarket building, where all installations will be visible to visitors and customers. Danfoss' solutions for heating and cooling such as CO₂ as a refrigerant, heat recovery, and the interaction between installations will thus be experienced while they are in operation. 

“Our new Smart Store shows what is possible with today's technology, such as our Alsense software,” said Tuuli Sarvilinna, senior vice president of electronic controllers and services at Danfoss. “The integration of hardware and software tools into this store underscores the growing importance digitalization has for the green transition.”